


Missed Trains and Time Well Spent

by professionalmomfriend (mothmanwashere)



Series: HogwartsStuck [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff Common Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-30 02:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5146931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothmanwashere/pseuds/professionalmomfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros can count the number of times he's ridden the Hogwarts Express on one hand</p><p>Today isn't the day he adds to that number</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missed Trains and Time Well Spent

_September 1, 7 th year_

_Hufflepuff Common Room_

Tavros Nitram had missed the Hogwarts Express that morning, which he was more than used to by this point.  His guardian was all too absent minded to get him there on time, and his hatchmate always spent the last week before school with his matesprit, so Tavros had to go alone.  He’d missed the train more times than he’d ridden it, and he’d become so good at apparating from King’s Cross Station to Hogsmeade that he really should have just gone there in the first place. 

When Tavros had first missed the train, only a second year student, he’d been distraught.  Fortunately, in his near panic, he’d seen the assembled guardians departing the station and quickly explained his predicament.  One of them taught him how to apparate to Hogsmeade and walked him up to the grounds.  Professor Calliope had greeted him at the grounds entrance with a kind smile.  She’d brought him up to the castle and let him wander free.  He’d eventually made his way to the Hufflepuff common room, which was the least intimidating place in the castle, and spent most of the day with Professor Clover.  In the end, everyone else had been jealous that he’d spent all day at Hogwarts, and he was quite pleased.

Though he still tried to make the train, so he could catch up with his friends before the term started, he couldn’t say as he was disappointed when he went straight to Hogsmeade.  It was pretty fun getting to the grounds early and walking up to the castle, and he liked straightening up the Hufflepuff common room before everyone else arrived.  Once they’d finished preparing for the rest of the students’ return, Professor Crocker always taught him a new charm or spell to give him a jumpstart on the first few days of class.  Being a ghost, she hadn’t much else to do but loiter about, and spent a lot of her time off-term in the Hufflepuff wing of the castle.  When school began again, she gave the students their space, saying they only needed their professors hanging about during school hours – especially those who were ghosts.

“You know how to conjure your patronus, Mister Nitram, do you not?” Professor Crocker had asked that afternoon over tea in the common room.  Tavros had tea, while the ghostly old woman sat across from him, smiling gaily.

“Uhh… well.  I know in theory how to do it,” Tavros said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “But I’ve never actually really, uhm. Done it.”

Professor Crocker’s ghosty blue lips pursed in contemplation.  “Have you tried much?”

“Not… very much.  I mean, I tried a few times when we learned about the charm, but it just never worked.  But there were… were lot of us who couldn’t do it back then.”

“Well perhaps that is a good thing to practice,” Professor Crocker said.  “You seem to have a good grasp on the charms we worked on this morning, so I’d suggest you take the time you would have spent practicing those charms outside of class and work on your Patronus charm.  It is rather vital in cases of extreme emergency, after all.”

“Okay, I will.”

Professor Crocker placed a hand on Tavros’ shoulder (but it just kind of went straight through him), and smiled reassuringly.  “You have an excellent hand with magical animals, Mister Nitram.  A patronus is a type of magical animal, though they’re far more intricate than the simpler species wizards work with on a usual basis.  I’m sure you can do it, deary.”

Tavros smiled brightly at his head of house.  “Thanks, Professor.”

“Let me know if you need any help,” she told him.  “But perhaps try asking one of your peers, first.  They might provide a different perspective that works even better than anything your professors have suggested.  Now, shall we trim up these Flitterbloom bushes, Mister Nitram?”

 

Now Tavros was in his room unpacking, waiting for his roommates to arrive.  He’d heard an announcement ring through the castle some time ago, announcing that the Hogwarts Express had pulled into station and the students would be arriving within the next twenty minutes.  The baggage couriers had dropped off and unpacked Dave and Karkat’s things already, so Tavros knew his friends shouldn’t be too far behind.

It isn’t long before Karkat ducks through the doorway.  He looks up from his Fiduspawn cards and waves at his friend.  “Hey Tavros,” Karkat says, immediately heading for his dresser.  “I’ve only got a couple minutes, but I accidentally packed my tie.  The Head Boys and Girls have to go meet with the Headmaster before the Feast starts.”  Karkat pulls a tie out of his drawer and loops it around his neck, tying it in a neat knot.  “I’ll see you in half an hour, buddy?”

“Uh, sure!” Tavros says.  “Have you seen Dave?”

Karkat hesitates as he reaches for the door.  “No.  Not since the station.”

“Oh, uh, okay.  Just wondering.  Have fun with the first years.”

“Thanks Tavros.  See you tonight.”

Tavros waves as Karkat leaves.  He goes back to his Fiduspawn cards for a bit, but it’s only a few more minutes before Dave arrives.  “Tavros, my man,” Dave says, reaching out a hand to slap against Tavros’ in their cool ‘secret handshake’ that they made up in third year after a particularly good rap battle.  “How’s it going?  Did you miss the train again?”

Tavros nods.  “Yeah, but it was okay.  Professor Crocker told me I need to work on my Patronus charm.”

“Oh dude, the Patronus charm is rad as fuck.  Haven’t you done it before?”

“Not… successfully,” Tavros says.

“I could give you a few pointers if you want,” Dave offers.  “My patronus is awesome.”

“Uhm, sure.  I’ll… take you up on that.”

“Sweet. Hey, you seen Karkat yet?”

“Yeah, he was just here a few minutes ago,” Tavros says.  Dave looks surprised, then confused, and turns to look at the door as if Karkat would still be just exiting.  Tavros decides to elaborate.  “He had to go, uhm, meet with the headmaster and the other head boys and girls before the feast.  He said he would meet us.  Meet us there, that is.”

“Yeah, I guess.”  Dave sounds disappointed, and Tavros tries to reassure him with a smile.  “We should probably head down there soon, though.”

“We’ve got some time,” Tavros says.  “But I have been here all day, so I wouldn’t mind going down early.  Uhm, if you wanted, that is.”

“I’m kinda anxious to see everyone, you know?”

“I guess.  I do miss Gamzee.  And Aradia.”

“Your ho and your bro,” Dave snickers.

“That’s… a weird way of putting it.”

“Sorry.  It rhymes better than matesprit and moirail, though.”

“True.  Maybe I’ll, uh, use that in my next rap.”

Dave sticks out his hand for a fist bump, which Tavros obliges.  The stairs twist before them, a writhing mass of stone and railings.  They’re too familiar with the functions of the stairs to be terribly put off by it, though, so they just keep plugging away until they’ve found themselves at the doors of the Great Hall.

“Here we go, dude,” Dave says.  “One last Welcoming Feast.”

“Let’s… make it the best one yet.”

Dave laughs as they push the heavy wooden doors open.  “I like the way you think, Nitram.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, see hogwarts-stuck-au.tumblr.com for details on this AU, or just to chat about it with me


End file.
